Metrovick Engines
by Commander Aron
Summary: While everyone celebrates National Siblings Day on Sodor, Boco is sulking in his shed, lamenting about being the only survivor of his class. That's until the Fat Controller sends him to the mainland for a very special surprise, and I think you'll like what happens. (To be in the Extended Railway Series library)
1. Foreword

_Foreword_

Dear Friends,

As you may be well-aware, Sodor celebrates its "National Siblings Day" as a way of letting family members celebrate having a brother or sister, and many of the North-Western Railway's engines celebrate this too. Although many engines on the island have brothers or sisters living on the mainland, our friend Boco the Metrovick Engine has none, but Sir Topham and the East Lancashire Railway have a very special surprise for our sad friend….


	2. A Lonely Metrovick

**_A Lonely Metrovick_**

With the ongoing festivities of National Siblings Day happening across the Island of Sodor, Edward had been busy in and out that beautiful afternoon.

Hauling the local stopping services between Wellsworth and Brendam was not easy, despite the numbers of passengers catching his train to celebrate the festivities going on in Brendam. And enjoying the daily back-and-forth runs let him enjoy the nice, clear blue skies on that sunny day.

But his nice day changed as he approached Brendam station. In the distance was twins Bill and Ben, pestering Boco as usual.

"Oh great," the old engine murmured to himself. "What are those two up to now?" After uncoupling from his train, Edward puffed up to the commotion at Brendam shed.

"You see Boco, we two twins are like two peas-in-a-pod," Bill explained. "We've always wondered what our lives would be like if we didn't have each other..."  
The Metrovick looked down at the two twins. "I agree. You two are always together, and I couldn't imagine you two being separated."

Edward blew his whistle. "So you two are bothering Boco again?" He asked the twins sternly. "Now what are the both of you talking to him about now this time?"

Before Bill or Ben could say anything, Boco spoke up. "It's okay Edward. The twins were just talking about how they were saved, and why they feel Siblings Day is special to them."

Edward breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew…and I thought you two were going to ask him a ton of questions." He then looked at two lines of four empty china clay wagons sitting near the docks. "In the meantime," he began to explain to the twins, "why don't you two go fetch those wagons and take them back to the quarry, ok?"

Without saying anything, Bill and Ben scurried off to their work.

* * *

As Edward was about to return to Brendam station, he looked up, noticing that Boco's mood had went from a cheerful one to a saddened one.

"Boco? Are you okay?" Edward asked.

The green Metrovick sighed with a gloomy look on his face. "Huh…You know Edward, I've…well, with all of the festivities going on every year, I've always noticed how the other diesels have siblings, like Pip has Emma, Dick has Dilworth, and Procor has Wakefield and Spartan. And yet, I'm the only diesel here on Sodor with no surviving siblings at all."

"Wait a minute! Are you telling me that you're a sole-survivor?"

Boco sighed, heavy-hearted. "Yes."

Edward was saddened. Boco, his best friend on the Wellsworth Branch, had become the only surviving member of his class, as his brothers and sisters had disappeared back on the mainland years earlier.

"Boco…I'm so sorry. I didn't know." He exclaimed, sadly.

The green loco looked up. "It's alright. At least I have my memories of them with me. All I ever wanted was to see at least one of them before I left for Sodor back in the sixties." He then smiled, while looking at the sky. "I can still recall the names of the five I was shedded with after I was built: Bodo, Coco, Cobo, Coby, Cody…Oh I miss them so…"

Then, with another depressed sigh, Boco slowly started off towards the quarry to fetch his next train. Edward was deeply sorry. "Oh, Boco…"

* * *

A while later, as Edward backed into the sheds at Tidmouth, he was still thinking about Boco's state, and how he'd like to help.

Meanwhile, the other engines, however, were trying to ignore Gordon's rambling about his only remaining sibling.

"…As for Scotsman," Gordon explained to the others about his brother Flying Scotsman, who was under restoration at the time, "He's still undergoing a long-term restoration at a place called Riley & Sons, a place somewhere on the mainland, and he's getting a new front-section for his frames. However, I…"

*sigh*

Before he could finish, Edward let out a big sigh, and the engines looked over at him.

Bear spoke up. "Edward, is something bothering you? You look as if something's bothering you."

"Yes, Edward," Gordon began to ask, "What's soooo important for you to sigh over my conversation?"

The old engine looked over at his friends, wheeshed, then looked back down again. "It's...". He looked disturbed as Boco's words from earlier came to him. "…just that Boco is sulking back at Brendam shed, because…he has no brothers or sisters left. I didn't even know about that until today."

The other engines were surprised.

"Wait, Boco?" Thomas asked, "He's a sole survivor too?"

"Yes Thomas," Edward said. "Like me, you, James, Toby, and many others, we all have one thing in common: we're the only surviving members of our respective classes, and Boco is now one too."

James, at the mention of his name, sneered. "Pah! I may be the only remaining example of my kind, but I never get sad because of that."

All the other engines looked at him in disgust.

Robert, the Southern engine, eyed the red engine. "Well, you'd be sad too if you actually cared for your lost siblings every so often. If I was the only member of my class left, I'd feel really lonely."

"Yes James, Robert is right," came a familiar voice. Sir Topham Hatt was walking towards the sheds to greet the engines. "Besides, it's Sibling's Day!"

Then he walked over to Edward.

"Now Edward," he began, "what's this commotion about Boco being an only engine?"

"Well sir, Boco has been sad for a while, because he's the only remaining locomotive of his entire class. Is there any way we can cheer him up?"

The Fat Controller rubbed his chin, interested. "I see…I've just got off the phone with a heritage railway over on the mainland. They want Boco to come see something that will really cheer him up!" And with that, he got into his car and drove off to see Boco.

"Well, I wonder what that 'something' is…"

Edward sighed, as he headed off to sleep, while the other engines kept trying to ignore Gordon's lecture on how important Flying Scotsman is to him.

* * *

At Brendam, Boco was in his shed, gazing at the stars in the night sky, wondering about his last day back on the mainland, and how he never got to tell his brothers and sisters goodbye….

 **Barrow-in-Furness, 1965…**

In 1965, Boco, then known as D5702, was allocated at Barrow-in-Furness sheds, located in the London Midland region of British Railways. He was shedded with his fellow classmates: D5700 "Bodo", D5701 "Coco", D5703 "Coby", D5704 "Cody", and D5705 "Cobo". By the mid 1960's, diesels were already taking over, and steam was coming to an end on the mainland, and they had a dislike for what they called "rusting teakettles." However, D5702 was amongst the few diesels who felt sorry for the railway veterans, and looked on as they would, on sad occasion, be towed off to the breakers.

Every night, D5702 and one of his fellow brothers or sisters would double-head a special nighttime goods train called the "Midland Condor", which they would pull from Barrow to London. When not pulling the express goods train, the Metropolitans would be allocated to passenger and local goods services.

One morning, D5702 had returned from London with sister D5701, and was looking forward for an afternoon nap.

"Well, that midnight run went pretty smooth, eh' D5701?"

D5701 herself, frowned. "It did, until one of my pistons started to seize near Birmingham."

"Oh, come now, D5701, that was just a mechanical malfunction. I'm just glad that you're alright after that."

She then let a short 'phew' and smiled. "At least we got it fixed, and got to London on time!"

"You can say that again…"

After they uncoupled, both engines backed into their shed, while a conversation was going on…

* * *

 **Brendam, Present-Day:**

*HONK!*

Suddenly, Boco looked down to see the Fat Controller's car, stop near him.

Sir Topham got out of the car, hurriedly. "Ah, Boco! There you are! Are you alright?"

Boco sighed. "Well sir, it's just that…I have no surviving brothers or sisters, and it's just made me so down right now."

Sir Topham smiled. "Boco, I completely understand how you feel, so I phoned the East Lancashire Railway on the mainland, and they have requested for you to come to their diesel gala. And it's mainly because they have a very, very special surprise there for you.

Boco couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, sir! Do you know what the surprise is by chance?"

"Hah! Oh no, Boco," Sir Topham laughed, "now what would a surprise be if I was to ruin it?"

Boco chuckled. "You're right, sir. How silly of me!"

The Fat Controller chuckled as well. He knew that Boco would get the biggest surprise of his life at Bury in a few days' time.


	3. Reunion

**Reunion**

* * *

Early the next morning, Boco and his driver sat off from Brendam to the East Lancashire Railway, on the mainland. It had been a long night, since Sir Topham Hatt had informed the Metrovick that he was invited to a 'special' gala at the heritage railway, and that they had a very special surprise for him there.

"Driver, what do you suppose the surprise is?" he asked his driver.

Boco's driver pondered for a moment. He too didn't know either. "I'm not sure, ol' boy. We'll just have to get there first."

"Fine …"

As soon as they reached the bridge connecting the Island of Sodor with the mainland, and the national network, he was delighted. There before him was Barrow-In-Furness, the same town he and his fellow class members had been allocated to prior to him leaving for Sodor. However, his smile turned into a frown, as he realized that many things have changed, especially with his old shed having been long demolished, and the yard had been reduced to half its size.

"Oh what a shame, what a shame," he lamented. A tear formed in his eye. "My old home… it's all gone…" As he briefly stopped near the site of the shed, he couldn't help but close his eyes and envision the site as it was back in the 1960's. He could see himself and his fellow allocated class members chatting away, while the other engines joined in as well.

Nearby, several diesel multiple units were chatting at the main station, when they noticed Boco, with one of them moving up to him.

"Aye," grunted a nearby Glasgow-based Pacer unit. "What do we have here? Oi, class 28! Nice to b'e back in ta fiftie's, ye would be sayin' that!"

"What nonsense," Boco scoffed, coming out of his vision, "I'm headed for Bury for an event, come rain or shine without any fuss or bother!"

"Aye lad, but ye ne'er deal wi' passengers, not ta mention mechanic'l problems," sighed the Pacer, "the havers they mak', ye wouldnae believe!"

Just then, a Class 66 rolled in. "Oh hello," he said, "I don't think I've ever seen you before here in Barrow-in-Furness..."

"Don't worry about me," smiled the big diesel, "I was originally shedded here back in the 1960s, and am on my way to the East Lancashire Railway." The engines were surprised.

"Goodness!" The Class 66 shrieked. "You're a Class 28? Lad, I'm surprised, because the East Lancs really has a surprise that will make you blow a fuse! Nice to meet you…"

"Boco. Name's Boco"

After leaving Barrow, it took an hour or two to reach Carnforth, and after several photographs were taken at the station, and a chat with several of the resident steam and diesel engines, they headed south passing through Lancaster. When they arrived in Preston, Boco's driver parked him in a siding, so he could eat lunch before proceeding towards Manchester. As he waited, Boco closed his eyes again, reflecting on the past...

* * *

 _Barrow-In-Furness, 1965…_

…as D5702 and D5701 entered the shed, they noticed that D5700, D5703, and D5705 were in a discussion, while D5704 was having one of his cylinder pistons replaced.

"Ugh…" D5704 groaned. "Can you please be more careful with that piston!? Besides, how much longer is this going to take?"

One of the fitters looked up at him, annoyed. "Sorry D5704, but it might be a while longer, so sorry lad."

"Oh bother!"

D5700 eyed his younger brother. "Could you hush D5704? This is very important, so you all need to listen in on this."

D5702, now parked, was curious. "What do you mean, D5700? What's going on?"

"Oh, D5702! Glad you and D5701 made it back." He then looked at the others. "Anyway, in case you two have heard, British Railways is offering the North-Western Railway a chance to run some trials with one of our class."

All of the Metropolitans gasped. Even a nearby Jinty was surprised, as D5705 spoke. "Are you serious, D5700? Have you even told our other fourteen brothers and sisters?"

D5700 acknowledged his younger brother. "Well...I…" he tried to explain, but couldn't figure out what to say. The other fourteen members of the class, D5706-D5719 hadn't known about the news, mainly because they were either so busy or being repaired.

"Ah-ha! I knew you didn't tell them!" D5705 exclaimed, while his driver was checking his cab controls. "You didn't even tell our other brothers and sisters at-"

D5703, the only one who hadn't said a thing yet, finally interrupted him. "D5705, will you please be quiet? I was there with D5700 when he heard the news, so I took it upon myself to tell the others." She then eyed the others. As for the rest of you all, this part of the conversation is now over. D5700, will you please continue now? You mentioned that any one of us Metrovicks will be chosen to go to Sodor for trials?"

"Oh," D5700 exclaimed, "yes, that is indeed true. I believe the depot superintendent should be here soon to announce who's going…"

* * *

 _Present Day_

After finishing his lunch at a nearby restaurant, Boco's driver came back, only to find his engine dreaming.

"Boco….Hey pal, wake up!"

The Metrovick slowly woke up, while the driver climbed back into his cab. "Uhhh….where have you been?" he asked.

"I'm sorry lad, lunch kind of took too long. Now let's get going, we're expected to make a quick stop at Bolton Interchange, and then another stop at Manchester Victoria."

And so they did. After leaving Preston, they reached Euxton Junction, continuing towards Bolton. Along the way, many enthusiasts were standing along the line, excited to see a working Class 28.

Like at Carnforth, Boco and his driver were met with a mob of photographers and enthusiasts. Boco himself was astounded. "My goodness driver, I've never seen so many people wanting to take pictures of me and you. I just don't understand what's so special about me, or that I'm an only survivor?" he asked.

Before his driver could answer, one of the enthusiasts spoke. "What's special? You're one of a few remaining products of Metropolitan-Vickers!"

Boco smiled. He was happy that he was keeping the legacy of his builders alive. After the photo session was finished, he continued his journey.

Several hours later, after a third photo session at Manchester Victoria, finding the Caulder Valley Line, and reaching Mills Hill junction, Boco finally reached Bury Bolton Street.

Many of the ELR's volunteers and visitors gave him a big welcome. Among them was 13065, the railway's recently overhauled Hughes Crab, who goes by his designer's name, Hughes.

"Why hello there, chap! Welcome to the East Lancashire Railway!" he exclaimed, delighted. "You must be Boco, I presume?" he asked him.

"Why yes I am," he replied. "And I heard there's something special for me here?"

Hughes smiled with delight. "Dear lad! Not something, but someone!" he exclaimed, excitedly. "That someone is waiting at the outside the shed. Go now!"

Boco didn't have to wait. With the points switched behind him, he ran in reverse, towards the sheds at Buckley Wells.

* * *

As he entered the premises, long rows of unrestored and stored engines and rolling stock passed him. Then a long gap came.

And right there, sitting on jacks, was a very familiar shape. Covered in a light-blue tarp, and with faded paint, was D5705.

Boco was surprised. "Cobo!? Oh my goodness, it's really-"

But before he could finish, Cobo snapped. "D5702! I should've known you would've finally showed your face."

"But you know I go by Boco, right?" the older Metrovick asked him.

"Pah!" Cobo snorted. "And you keep saying that. Your career has probably been all goody-goody, now hasn't it, D5702?"

Boco tried to answer. "Well, I…"

"But WHAT!?" the jacked-up diesel yelled. "You don't EVEN know what I've been through, big brother! I'll tell you:"

"In December 1966, the year after you left for Sodor, I was transferred to the depot at Carlisle Upperby and then went to Crewe works for a modified engine in April 1967. My final transfer was to the new Diesel depot at Carlisle Kingmoor in February 1968. After that, I was withdrawn from capital stock in September 1968. I was then commandeered by the Research Centre at Derby and re-numbered S15705. I was used to haul various test trains around the system. Then in January 1975, I was again renumbered to TDB 968006 and was used as a static train heating unit in South Wales and Bristol, arriving there in February 1976. In June 1980 I was moved to Swindon Works for storage following purchase into preservation. I was then stored in the Civil Engineering Siding at Swindon until being resold and moved to Peak Rail Site at Matlock in March 1986. The final move to the East Lancashire Railway at Bury was by road in January 1997."

Boco was astonished. He was left speechless.

"Well I guess that all sums up my journey to here. I had to say goodbye to all of our fellow classmates, as they were scrapped. And I thought you were one of them, but I guess not." Cobo eyed him in anger.

"You were the lucky one! I should've been sent with YOU! **D5702, YOU DON'T DESERVE TO HAVE BEEN SOLD TO SODOR!** "

Boco was shocked and broken-hearted. For the first time, he was happy to find that he was not the only member of his class, but to only find that the other one hated him. "I'll go talk to the other engines…."

"No, **HOW ABOUT YOU LEAVE, AND NEVER…COME…BACK!** " D5705 screamed out, scaring some nearby volunteers.

As he headed for the main shed, Boco began to weep, thinking of what had become of his little brother.


End file.
